The area that I live in on the northern outskirts of Brisbane was one of the most densely populated koala areas when I moved here, about sixteen years ago. Hardly a day went by without seeing at least one, often more. They can be hard to spot when high up in the trees but at night you knew they were there by the grunting calls. Now I very rarely hear one. It's a good couple of months since I last saw a couple, mother and baby, crossing the road and it had been many months prior to that since the previous sighting. When the sightings were more common nearly every one had the stained backside that indicates disease.

This broad project involves collaboration with research teams at the Queensland University of Technology, University of Sydney and the University of Queensland. It aims to determine the most effective treatments for chlamydiosis in koalas; to determine the role of the koala retrovirus (KoRV) in the development of chlamydial disease, and to provide better prognostic indicators for clinicians treating the disease.

Chlamydiosis is a serious and sometimes fatal disease that is endemic in most koala populations in Australia. It causes a variety of diseases including blindness, infertility, urinary tract infection and pneumonia. Nearly one half of all admissions of wild koalas to rehabilitation centres are due to chlamydial disease. As one of the key threatening processes affecting the survival of koalas in the wild, a better understanding of this debilitating disease is a high priority for conservation research.

Koala Retrovirus

This is an ongoing collaborative project with the University of Queensland examining the role of the koala retrovirus in leukaemia, immunodeficiency syndrome and related diseases in koalas. The virus was isolated and genetically sequenced in 1999 by the brilliant Dr Jon Hanger, providing a basis for further research into its role in koala disease. The diseases caused by this virus are invariably fatal, and are very common in both captive and wild koalas. They represent one of the key threatening processes affecting the long-term survival of koalas in the wild in Australia. Current research streams aim to determine the role that KoRV plays in chlamydial disease in koalas, and to determine the distribution of the virus across different koala populations in Australia.

Use of the anaesthetic agent alfaxalone (Alfaxan CD-RTU ®) in wildlife Alfaxan CD-RTU is a relatively recently released anaesthetic registered for use in domestic cats and dogs in Australia. It shows great promise as a safe and reliable anaesthetic in a wide range of wild animals including reptiles, birds and mammals, with some significant advantages over agents commonly used in wildlife. The Australian Wildlife Hospital, which treats some 3000 wild animals every year, has been providing feedback to both the manufacturer and other veterinarians on the use of Alfaxan in wildlife.

Chlamydiae shedding by koalas

This collaborative project with the Chlamydia research group at the Queensland University of Technology examined the shedding of chlamydial organisms by koalas affected by chlamydial disease. Using a powerful molecular technique called real-time polymerase chain reaction, the shedding of infectious chlamydial particles could be accurately quantified over the course of treatment. This allowed critical analysis of the efficacy of current treatment regimes for chlamydiosis and determination of the infectiousness of koalas following treatment. The results confirmed that the current treatment regime used at the Australian Wildlife Hospital was very effective in eliminating the organism from infected koalas. This means that when koalas are released back into the wild following treatment they are no longer infectious to other koalas. The results of this study will be reported in scientific literature in the near future.

1. Oh, goodbye, Bunyip Bluegum[1]; goodbye, Blinky Bill[2] And beautiful little Nutsie[3]. I can't believe it. Our koalas are all dying. Can it really be A national disaster, a world catastrophe?

2. Shiny little black nose and fluffy little ears, Furry little bundle soaking up the tears, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie[4] are crying in the rain, And Wombat's gone into his hole and won't come out.

CHORUS: Oh, pass the hat around between your friends. There's no time to contemplate. Maybe if we show some love, Maybe it's not too late.

3. 'Cause Blinky Bill is dying; cross him off the list. Knock on doors; ring the bell; save the eucalypts[5]. I don't think I could stand the shame, knowing that I could Have saved the world from losing something beautiful and good. CHORUS

4. One doctor on the job is hardly enough, One little hospital; wake up, Australia! It's our corner of the world, time to pull our weight. What would we tell our children about our little mate?

REPEAT 1; REPEAT CHORUS.

1. Bunyip Bluegum is the koala that features in the children's classic 'THE MAGIC PUDDING', written in 1918 by the famous sculptor, painter and author, Norman Lindsay.

2. Blinky Bill - Australia's favourite cartoon koala.

3. Nutsie (Nutsy) is one of his friends.

4. The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie were written and illustrated by May Gibbs (naturalist, artist and psychologist) 1877-1969. She introduced many people to Australian wildlife with her children's stories of 'gum nut babies' and their exploits in the bush.

5. Eucalypts - The koala almost exclusively feeds on the leaves of eucalypts, also known as Gum trees.

The song Goodbye Blinky Bill drew attention to the plight of the Koala in 1986. Through donations of royalties from the single and passing the hat at gigs, John has raised over $300,000 to help with their preservation.

John has been the Patron of the Koala Preservation Society of NSW in Port Macquarie for the last 5 years. The money raised from this song was used to build the John Williamson wing at the Koala Hospital.

Goodbye Blinky Bill remains one of John's most popular songs, particularly with children.